Biodiversity In South Africa Essay

The word biodiversity is a recent contraction of the word biological diversity. The term biological diversity was first used by Lovejoy in 1980 (Swingland, 2001). Heywood & Watson (1995) defined biological diversity as “the total variability of life on earth”. The National Forum on Biodiversity, held in Washington D.C. in 1986 along with E.O. Wilson was responsible for the launch of the word ‘biodiversity’ (Harper & Hawksworth, 1994).

DeLong (1996) presented a definition of biodiversity which was consistent with, as well as encompasses the numerous other definitions. “Biodiversity is a state or attribute of a site or area and specifically refers to the variety within and among living organisms, assemblages of living organisms, biotic communities, and biotic processes, whether naturally occurring or modified by humans. Biodiversity can be measured in terms of genetic diversity and the identity and number of different types of species,

These biodiversity hotspots are the Cape Floristic Region; the Succulent Karoo, which is shared with Namibia; and the Maputaland-Pondoland Albany hotspot, which is shared with Mozambique and Swaziland (Rouget et al. 2004). According to Mucina et al. 2006), South Africa’s terrestrial biodiversity can be divided into nine biomes namely: Albany Thicket, Desert, Forest, Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Savanna and Succulent Karoo.

Due to South Africa’s heterogeneous landscapes being astonishingly rich in biodiversity, it represents an exceptional opportunity for analysing the spatial relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services (Cowling et al. 2004 & Cowling et al. 1989). Effective biodiversity substitutes and areas which are important to biodiversity conservation have been located and identified through extensive research (Reyers et al. 2001; Lombard et al. 2003; van Jaarsveld et al. 1998 & Cowling et al.